Door-operating mechanism



Jan. 1, 1929. w LING 1,697,125

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed March 31, 192'! z z y Y 4 I /'11 9 x m s M Mfr/88 V INVENTOR,

Patented Jan. 1, 1929.

UNITED STATES WALTER H. LING, F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed March 31, 1927. Serial No. 179,898.

This invention relates to operating mechanism for twin doors and the hire movable on relatively opposite and vertical pivots and its object is to provide simple andinexpensive mechanism for operating such closures whereby force applied to close or open one closure will cause the other closure to move simultaneously and under control to the corresponding limit (open or closed). In the example herein set forth the force for both opening and closing may be applied to the same closure and to either closure to cause this result and there is the further advantage that one closure may be moved from and toward the closed position a little distance independently of the other.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 shows the improved mechanism and the doors in plan, the walls of a garage having the opening to be closed appearing in sect-ion; v

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, showing only one door (open) and the arm 6;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section,of said arm on a larger scale; and

Fig. t shows the connection between said arm and arm 7.

1 indicates a wall of a garage having a doorway or opening 2, and 3 and 4: are the oppositely hinged doors for closing said opening, their closing position being determined by their contact with the door frame at 5.

Two arms are attached to and project inwardly from the respective doors, preferably at the top; one of these, as 6, acts as a lever, and the other, 7 as a link connecting the-inner or free end of such lever and the door to which it is attached. The two arms are pivoted together at their inner or free ends. Both are preferably also pivotally attached to the doors and confined to swing in horizontal planes, as by suitable fittings 8 secured to the doors and to which they are hinged on vertical pivots. The pivots between the two arms and between such fittings and the arms are all vertical, or parallel with the hinge axes or pivots of the doors, so that in the closing and opening of the doors the pair of arms fold and unfold, respectively, as shown at I and II in Fig. 1.

9, 1O indie-ate two fulcrum guides arranged to flank the arm 6. They here form the legs or extremities of a U-shaped member 11 which is rigidly affixed to the wall 1 over the doorway. Guide 10 aifords a fulcrum for arm (or lever) 6 if opening movement be applied to door 4C or closing movement to door 3, and guide 9 affords a fulcrum for said arm if closing movement be applied to door 4 or opening movement to door 3, and

in each case the opposite door will be impelled in the same relative direction as the door to which the force for opening or closing is directly applied and come simulta neously to the same limit-open or closed, indicated by positions II and I in Fig. 2. The lever-affording arm 6 of course slides on the fulcrum (9 or 10) in any case.

The two guides are arranged as shown in more or less close proximity to each other, but in the preferred form they are spaced a distance exceeding the width of arm 6 so that there may be free movement thereof from one to the other guide. The object of this is to permit one door, as the door 8 (shown with the usual overlapping weather strip 3), to be moved a limited distance from and to closed position independently of door lsee Fig. 1 at position III. When door 3 has thus been opened to the limit'of its independent movement application of force to either door to move it to the fully open position will result in simultaneous full opening movement of the other door, guide 9 or 10 then acting as the fulcrum according as it is door 3 or door 4 which is thus directly moved. Of course the interconnection between the doors afforded by the arms, taken with the fact that such may find a purchase on one or the other of the guides, reduces the freedom of the doors to swing to, when open, under wind pressure. They may be positively locked in the open position by means to be described.

Each arm, for the sake of strength and lightness, is preferably formed of channeliron with flattened ends. To permit adjustment the pivot between the arms is a bolt 12 adapted to be fitted to any of a longitudinal series of holes 13 in each arm.

The locking means may include a latch 14 pivoted to move in a vertical plane in arm 3 and to abut inwardly above its pivot against the end of a slot 15 therein and below its pivot against the base of the U-shaped memher 11, over which it trips when door 3 is moved to its extreme open position. For releasing this latch when the doors are to be closed there may be a bell-crank lever 16 pivoted in arm 3 and having a pull-chain 17 and a flexible connection 18 between it and the latch.

The invention may be applied to any closures movable on relatively opposite and vertical. pivots. So long as there are pres ent a lever-affording arm (as 6) confined to movement in a horizontal plane and adapted to be pivotally connected to and extend inwardly from one closure, a connecting member (as 7) connected to the inner end portion of said arm and adapted to be attached to the other closure and a guide (as 9 or 10) adapted to be arranged in fixed position lateral of said arm and affording a fulcrum on which the arm may slide, my invention will in its broadest scope be accomplished. By defin ing said arm as extending inwardly from one closure I mean that it extends in the direction toward which the closures move to their closing limit. And by defining the guide (9 or 10) as lateral of the arm I mean in the path in which the arm may swing on the pivot between it and door or closure Of course, the member 7 must be stiff, as a link, and not a chain or other flexible connection if the operation of the doors is effected by force applied to door 4 for closing or door 3 for opening the two doors.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

L Mechanism for operating simultaneously a pair of closures movable on relatively opposite and vertical pivots and to a given limit in closing including a lever afi'ording arm confined to movement in a horizontal plane and adapted to be pivotally connected directly to and extend inwardly from one closure, a stiff connecting member connected to said arm and adapted to be attached to the other closure, and a guide adapted to be arranged in fixed position lateral of said arm and afiording a fulcrum on which the arm mayslide.

2. Mechanism for operating simultaneously a pair of closures movable on relatively opposite and vertical pivots and to a given limit in closing including a leverafliording arm confined to movement in a horizontal plane and adapted to be pivot-ally connected directly to and extend inwardly from one closure, a stiff connecting member connected to said arm and adapted to be attached to the other closure, and a pair of guides adapted to be arranged'in fixed posi-' tion lateral and on each side of said arm and each affording a fulcrum on which the arm may slide.

3. Mechanism for operating simultaneously a pair of closures movable on relatively opposite and vertical pivots and to a given limit in closing including a lever-affording arm confined to movement in a horizontal plane and adapted to be pivotally connected directly to and extend inwardly from one closure, a stiff connecting member connected to said arm and adapted to be attached to the other closure, and a pair of guides adapted to be arranged in fixed position lateral and on each side of said arm and each affording a fulcrum on which the arm may slide, said guides being spaced apart a distance exceeding the width of the arm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALTER H. LING. 

